陈情令 | The Untamed Guide
Episode 1
The show opens with the battle at Nightless City (also translated as Nevernight). Things have gone very, very sideways for Wei Wuxian and (almost) everyone there is out to kill him. They’d also really like his powerful relic while they’re at it. He attempts to commit suicide, but is stopped by Lan Wangji. Note that they refer to each other by their birth names… this is the show letting you know they’re “close”. Unfortunately Jiang Cheng shows up and he definitely wants Wei Wuxian dead at this point. Wei Wuxian falls to his death, and Lan Wangji is devastated.
16 years later...
The teenagers in white with the forehead-ribbons are disciples of the Lan Clan (Lan Wangji’s clan). They’re sitting in a teahouse, listening to a story teller, who has been paid to remind everyone about the Yiling Laozu even though he’s been dead for a long time. Coincidence? Absolutely not- the character with the fan is important, but his identity isn’t revealed until later.
The Mo Manor...
Mo Xuanyu used the Sacrifice Summon ritual to resurrect Wei Wuxian. In the process he sacrificed himself - body and soul - to have Wei Wuxian to take his place. In return, Wei Wuxian has to take revenge on behalf of Mo Xuanyu. Each cut on his arm represents someone that he needs to kill, and they will not heal until he does so.
It’s important to note that (unlike in the book) Wei Wuxian looks like himself- he is not in Mo Xuanyu’s body, it’s, presumably, his own body.
This is why he has to wear a mask when he’s around people who knew him before he died, and he gets freaked out when he sees the Lan Clan show up in particular. Fortunately for Wei Wuxian, Mo Xuanyu was known for being eccentric and always wore that mask or heavy makeup as an adult, so no one remembers what he looked like exactly and assume from the mask they’re dealing with Mo Xuanyu.
Wei Wuxian also uses this fact to be mischievous while trying to sus out information because that’s how he rolls (as you will discover soon, he was the class clown as a teenager).
The Characters
Wei Wuxian
Wei Ying
Title: Yiling Laozu
“Yiling Patriarch*”
*while laozu means ancestor, as a title it's given to leaders or founders of religious sects, which is clearly more of what his title is going for than "patriarch"
Known for being a necromantic heretic user of demonic cultivation and betraying his clan. Has become something of a boogey man since his death. He was “close” with Lan Wangji.
Mischievous, but also very intelligent, if not particularly wise. He is very skilled at using talismans, in addition to playing the flute which he uses to control spirits. He created a relic that caused a lot of problems in the cultivation world, in addition to creating rituals and other magical objects, like the Lure Flag used by the Lan disciples at the Mo Manor.
Lan Wangji
Lan Zhan
Title: Hanguang Jun
“Light-bearing Lord”
An important member of the Gusu Lan sect, and the younger brother of the clan leader. Together they’re called the Twin Jades (though his brother is a few years older)
He’s known for being very reserved (or arrogant, depending on who you ask) and righteous. Also has a reputation for showing up at just the right time. He and Wei Wuxian were “close”.
His sword is named Bichen, and he is very skilled with the guqin. Almost always dresses in white.
Jiang Cheng
Courtesy name: Jiang Wanyin
Title: Sandu Shengshou
“Thrice Bane Lord*”
The leader of the Yunmeng Jiang clan, and responsible for Wei Wuxian’s death.
*While this is how his title is translated in some versions, it's not reflective of the actual meaning. Sandu is a Buddhist concept of the three poisons (ignorance, greed, and aversion/hate) that keep a soul from achieving Nirvana. Shengshou means a skilled practitioner. Whether this means that Jiang Cheng is a skilled practitioner of the three poisons, or if he's mastered overcoming them, is open to interpretation. Interestingly, hate is personified as a snake, which is a recurring motif in his weapons' designs.
The Lan Disciples
Lan Jingyi
Straightforward and careless, he tends to speak what's on his mind, whether it's socially acceptable or not.
Lan Suzhi
Compassionate and thoughtful.
For some reason, he thinks he recognizes the song that Wei Wuxian plays on the blade of grass at the Mo Manor.
Mo Manor
Mo Xuanyu
A young man with some cultivation training, he sacrificed himself in order to bring Wei Wuxian back to life. Was considered to be mentally ill, and wore a mask or heavy makeup his whole adult life, which enables Wei Wuxian to “pass” as him, since no one remembers what he actually looks like.
Under the care of the Mo clan, who are abusive towards him.
A bastard son of the previous Jin clan leader, he received some cultivation training at Carp Tower, but was kicked out for some (as yet) unknown reason.
The Mo Family
Mo Xuanyu's abusive family (maternal aunt, uncle, and cousin). They're resentful of the opportunity that Mo Xuanyu received to train in cultivation, thinking that their son would have been better suited for it.
They keep him locked away in his room, supposedly because of his mental illness.
Places, People and Things mentioned
The richest and politically most important clan at the current moment. Jinlin Tai (lit. "golden scale tower"; variously translated as Koi, Carp, or Unicorn* Tower) in Lanling is their seat of power.
Mo Xuanyu was one of the bastard sons of the previous clan leader, and previously trained at Jinlin Tai.
*English localization of Qilin
Yin Hu Fu
Translated as the Stygian Tiger Amulet or Yin Tiger Tally, the Yin Hu Fu is the most powerful and infamous of Wei Wuxian's many creations, but why we don't know yet.
It is in two pieces, as it's based on a Hu Fu, which were used to verify troop deployments.